🇩🇪Germany

Paula's Choice vs Dr. Barbara Sturm

Rated by Lovi · Unbiased, science-based skincare AI trained on real user outcomes · How the Fit score works

Paula's Choice and Dr. Barbara Sturm are distinct skincare brands designed to address diverse complexions. The American line, founded in 1995 and owned by Unilever since 2021, features serums, cleansers, moisturizers, toners, and more built around hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and vitamin c, suiting combination and oily skin best with key ingredients like glycerin that significantly increase skin hydration and restore barrier function. Meanwhile, the German brand, founded in 2014 and owned by Puig since 2024, is deeply loved for its gentle moisturizers, clarifying exfoliants, and nourishing serums built on scientifically advanced formulas, suiting sensitive, dry, and balanced skin best because they focus on deep hydration and barrier support. While both offer targeted options for acne, dark spots, and mature skin, they differ in their foundational formulations and ideal skin types.

Paula's Choice is an American skincare brand founded in 1995 and owned by Unilever since 2021.

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Dr. Barbara Sturm is a German skincare brand founded in 2014 and owned by Puig since 2024.

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This page compares some of the most popular Paula's Choice and Dr. Barbara Sturm products; for every product of both brands, with a fit score for your own skin, use the Lovi app.

Popular Paula's Choice vs Dr. Barbara Sturm products

People Say

Paula's ChoiceDr. Barbara Sturm
  • Fast absorption and lightweight feel Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “Absorbs quickly and leaves no greasy residue behind. — Paula's Choice Clear Oil-Free Moisturizer”
    • “absorbs instantly — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “sinks in immediately — Dr. Barbara Sturm Hyaluronic Serum”
    • “sinks in quickly — Dr. Barbara Sturm The Good C Vitamin C Serum”
  • Non-irritating and gentle formulas Often MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “doesn't irritate my sensitive skin — Dr. Barbara Sturm The Good C Vitamin C Serum”
    • “deep yet gentle cleanse — Dr. Barbara Sturm Enzyme Cleanser”
    • “skin feels softer — Dr. Barbara Sturm The Good C Vitamin C Serum”
    • “Finally a vitamin C product I can use — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
  • Skin texture smoothing and improvement Mostly MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “skin becomes very smooth — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “skin is insanely soft — Paula's Choice Weightless Body Treatment 2% BHA”
    • “skin never been this silky — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
    • “skin texture is immediately more even — Dr. Barbara Sturm Enzyme Cleanser”
  • Glow, radiance and brightening Often MentionedOften Mentioned
    • “visible glow — Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster”
    • “acne scars faded — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “skin looks brighter — Dr. Barbara Sturm The Good C Vitamin C Serum”
    • “healthy glow — Dr. Barbara Sturm Hyaluronic Serum”
  • Anti-aging and firming results Sometimes NotedOften Mentioned
    • “lines less visible — Dr. Barbara Sturm Hyaluronic Serum”
    • “skin feels softer — Dr. Barbara Sturm The Good C Vitamin C Serum”
    • “skin looks plumper — Paula's Choice Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster”
  • Lightweight hydration and oil balance Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “Provides an internal level of hydration without leaving any heavy finish. — Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Pore-Reducing Toner”
    • “It works great to balance oil and is very refreshing, especially in the summer. — Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Pore-Reducing Toner”
    • “great for combination skin — Dr. Barbara Sturm Enzyme Cleanser”
    • “lasts almost 5 months — Dr. Barbara Sturm Enzyme Cleanser”
  • High price and expensive for size Mostly MentionedMostly Mentioned
    • “tiny tube — Paula's Choice 10% Azelaic Acid Booster”
    • “Sooooo expensive — Paula's Choice 25% Vitamin C + Glutathione Clinical Serum”
    • “expensive for body lotion — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
    • “way too expensive — Dr. Barbara Sturm Hyaluronic Serum”
  • Purging, breakouts and irritation Often MentionedSometimes Noted
    • “quite red after — Dr. Barbara Sturm Enzyme Cleanser”
    • “appearance of imperfections — Dr. Barbara Sturm The Good C Vitamin C Serum”
    • “skin purged — Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant”
  • No visible results or slow progress Rarely NotedOften Mentioned
    • “takes months to work — Paula's Choice Skin-Smoothing Retinol Body Treatment”
    • “did nothing — Paula's Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster”
    • “did nothing — Dr. Barbara Sturm Hyaluronic Serum”
  • Dryness, flaking and insufficient hydration Sometimes NotedSometimes Noted
    • “peeling and flaking — Paula's Choice 1% Retinol Treatment”
    • “Not hydrating enough for winter. — Paula's Choice Clear Oil-Free Moisturizer”
    • “face feels a bit tight — Dr. Barbara Sturm Enzyme Cleanser”

Questions and answers

Paula's Choice or Dr. Barbara Sturm: which is better?

Paula's Choice fits combination, oily, and acne-prone skin best on the products on this page, while Dr. Barbara Sturm provides gentle and non-irritating formulas with anti-aging and firming results.

What is the difference between Paula's Choice and Dr. Barbara Sturm?

Paula's Choice offers a much wider range of fragrance-free products on this page with a strong focus on combination, oily, and acne-prone skin, whereas Dr. Barbara Sturm features a very small selection with notable strengths in anti-aging and firming results.

Paula's Choice or Dr. Barbara Sturm: which moisturizer is better?

Paula's Choice offers a wider range of moisturizers with specialized Lovi fit levels for different skin types, whereas Dr. Barbara Sturm features only one moisturizer on this page. Reviewers note that Dr. Barbara Sturm tends to do better for non-irritating and gentle formulas and anti-aging and firming results.

Which is more affordable, Paula's Choice or Dr. Barbara Sturm?

Paula's Choice products are generally noted by reviewers for a high price, while Dr. Barbara Sturm products are often considered expensive for their size.

Which causes fewer breakouts, Paula's Choice or Dr. Barbara Sturm?

Dr. Barbara Sturm does better with non-irritating and gentle formulas, whereas Paula's Choice is noted for occasional purging, breakouts, and irritation.

When was Paula's Choice founded compared to Dr. Barbara Sturm?

Paula's Choice was founded in 1995 in the United States, whereas Dr. Barbara Sturm was founded in 2014 in Germany.

Which brand performs better for anti-aging and firming results according to review themes?

Dr. Barbara Sturm performs better for anti-aging and firming results according to the review themes on this page.

Do products from Paula's Choice or Dr. Barbara Sturm contain fragrance in their ingredients?

Both brands offer fragrance-free options, as every product from Paula's Choice and Dr. Barbara Sturm lists no fragrance in its ingredients on this page.

Research behind their key ingredients

Behind this comparison

Lovi compares products by their fit scores, calculated from the full ingredient list with brand-independent rules our dermatologists and cosmetic chemists build and review, and personalizes every pick with AI trained on the real results of millions of users. Lovi trains its fit score models on a proprietary dataset built from more than 10,000 expert-labeled products and more than 100,000 simulated examples, following an internally consistent methodology presented at Cosmoprof, AMWC, and Skin of Color Update.

  • Nadia Kapleva, MS

    Nadia Kapleva, MS

    Co-founder, Medical Director

    Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer

  • Alexey Shagraev, PhD

    Alexey Shagraev, PhD

    Co-founder, CEO and CTO

    PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex

  • Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc

    Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc

    Medical Board

    Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine

  • Aishani Shah, MD

    Aishani Shah, MD

    Medical Board

    Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD

  • Asya Zubkova, MS

    Asya Zubkova, MS

    Medical Board

    Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member

  • Hanna Kurets, MD

    Hanna Kurets, MD

    Medical Board, Medical Advisor

    Dermatology MD

  • Elina Nazarenko, MD

    Elina Nazarenko, MD

    Medical Board

    Dermatology and diagnostic consultant

  • Victoria Derkova, MS

    Victoria Derkova, MS

    Medical Board

    Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist

How does it fit your skin?

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